Memo from the President - September 5, 2012

I write to provide you with updated information on the Planning Council---the recently formed FIT committee---whose charge is twofold: first, to revisit and refresh the collegeís seven year old strategic plan, 2020: Bringing the Future into Focus; second, to review the collegeís mission statement ---last revised in 2001---to see how it aligns with todayís FIT and with our strategic goals.

As I mentioned at our Fall convocation and in earlier communications as well, the process we expect to use is similar in concept and kind to the one we used to develop the original strategic plan---one that values all voices and seeks a common consensus. The Planning Council , which held its initial meeting in May, is made up of a representative cross-section of the entire college. We will hold roundtables, focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and dinner dialogues. There will be subcommittees. We will reach out to industry, members of our advisory boards and all other relevant external constituencies. Updates on our activities and progress will be sent out to the community on a regular basis. We expect the entire process to be completed by the end of the 2012-2013 academic year.

To help guide us, we have engaged Anthony Knerr & Associates, a consulting firm whose specialty is strategic planning and problem solving for non-profit organizations and whose clients include a wide range of higher education institutions. Some of you already know Mr. Knerr or his associate John Braunstein since they not only spent the summer interviewing members of our community, but we also used their services in developing the Report Card. Others of you will come to know them over the next year in their role as facilitators for this initiative.

We will hold the Planning Councilís next meeting in late September after which a final schedule for the year will be established.